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COVID-19 update - 23 January 2022

23 January 2022
Home
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he pitopito kōrero

He Pitopito Kōrero

COVID-19 update - 23 January 2022
FOREWORD

Kia ora koutou,

As you will have heard, the Prime Minister announced that the whole of the motu (country) will move to the Red setting of the COVID-19 Protection Framework tonight Sunday 23 January at 11.59pm.

Under the Red setting, schools and kura will remain open and all children, young people and teachers in Year 4 and above must wear a face covering at school.

We will be providing further guidance on the impacts of Omicron shortly, following Cabinet’s consideration on Tuesday. In the meantime, our advice is to not hold assemblies in the Red or Orange settings.

It is important now, as we have for the last two years, to play our part. As you would expect, a booster requirement will soon be put in place for the education workforce, so please have you and your staff boosted and encourage parents and whānau of children over the age five to 11 years to get their first vaccination.

I appreciate that some in your communities will have concerns about attending on site, as we have seen previously when settings are at their highest. This will put pressure on you to deliver both on site and distance learning. Please prepare for that as best you can and come to us if you need help.

As I mentioned, we will be providing more information on the Red setting and any revisions to the setting as they arrive. Please use the COVID-19 Protection Framework information on our website.

COVID-19 Protection Framework for schools and kura – Ministry of Education

For now, stay kind and note the importance of ensuring vulnerable kids and those whose parents need to work are able to come to school. We are here to help you through this new setting of the COVID-19 pandemic as we strive to ensure the safety of our tamariki, whānau and school community.

Ngā mihi,
Iona